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by QueenCarol



Series: Fighting For The Moments [8]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV), carzekiel - Fandom
Genre: Carzekiel, Episode Related, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-17 19:55:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18105359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenCarol/pseuds/QueenCarol
Summary: Her husband, Ezekiel, told her he had a project to complete but she never thought she'd find him doing this.Episode Tie-In





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**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer:
> 
> Carol Peletier, Sophia Peletier, King Ezekiel, Henry, Jerry, Shiva, and any other recognizable character or plot of The Walking Dead belong to AMC Network and Skybound Entertainment, Image Comics and Robert Kirkman.
> 
> In no way is the author claiming ownage of any of the characters nor is there any economic/monetary gain at any time. The author is extremely respectful of the original creators and is willing to take down this work of fiction if requested.
> 
> No copyright infringement intended.
> 
> Original characters are the property of the author.

It takes her far longer to find her husband that she thinks it will.

When they parted that morning Ezekiel had told her he had a special project that needed to be completed that day. He wouldn’t tell her anything other than it was for the fair so Carol hadn’t insisted. The smile on his lips and the light in his eyes told her it wasn’t a dangerous project and she allowed him to keep his secret. It isn’t until dinner has rolled around and he hasn’t come home that she starts worrying.

A quick look into their room promises that he isn’t out of the community for his armor is still in its place, right beside hers. She knows he’s not crazy enough to leave Kingdom without it which means that he must be around somewhere. But where?

The first thing she does is check the theatre but she finds it empty and dark. She then looks around the various classrooms-turned-communal areas but she finds those empty of her husband’s presence. The next thing she checks is the kitchen in case he has forgotten it’s her turn to fetch their dinner but even though she finds it buzzing with people ready to fill their stomachs there is simply no sight of her husband. 

It’s not until a group of kids takes pity on her that she finally gets a clue as to where her husband might be.

She finds him in the gazebo, surrounded by long pieces of cloth with various patterns and strips of different colors stern all over the place. There's a couple of cans of paint nearby and based on the smudge on his cheek and the dried patches of paint on his hands, he has been using sporadically. Judging by the amount of work around him Carol knows that her sweet King has lost track of time. She can’t help but lean against the pillar and observe him as he works puncturing the cloth with the sharp needle then pulling the needle away to give way to a long piece of string with which he is sowing. The look of focus on his face as he bites the lower half of his lip is extremely cute and makes her want to kiss him senseless.

He must feel her gaze upon him for he turns to look at her, his eyes taking a moment to focus on the change of plane. He gives her a dazzling smile to welcome her into his workspace then he signals her to come closer with a wave of his hand.

“Watcha doing?” She asks him as she moves away from the pillar and towards him. She doesn’t like towering over him so she folds her legs under her body and sits beside him, her body pressing against his.

“Sewing.” He answers before leaning his head towards her and stealing a quick kiss from her lips. 

Carol can’t help but lick her lips instinctively. “I didn’t know you knew how to sew.”

“You wound me, my love.” Ezekiel jokes as he presses a hand flat against his chest. “Embroidering is an art I might not be adept at but basic sewing is a necessity for the unmarried man.”

Carol narrows her eyes at him playfully. “Wait a second… I thought we were married.” She teases.

Ezekiel lets out a laugh before nodding. “We are.” He agrees with her. “Yet I am not foolish enough to believe that it is my lady wife’s job to mend and sew.”

Carol has to admit her heart jumps a little as he delivers those words. She’s been so used to being the one that mends and sews everything, ever since she was with Ed then at the jail, that it is a relief to hear Ezekiel will never simply assume she will do that for him. In fact, now that she thinks about it, ever since coming to Kingdom she’s hardly ever had to sew something and what little she has had to do has mostly been her own clothes. 

“You never cease to amaze me.” She whispers as her hand gently smooths over the material he’s been working on. “What are they?”

Ezekiel extends the piece of cloth he’s been working on to reveal a banner. On the blue cloth, Carol can see three crude representations of clouds, the green of grass, a yellow sun with orange rays and the beginnings of a windmill. She knows right away that it represents her former home Alexandria. “Community banners.”

“Are they for the fair?”

Ezekiel nods before rolling the material into the position he’d had it before, then continued with his work. “One to represent each of the founding communities. It will help strengthen our ties if we represent them all equally.”

“How many have you finished?” She asks, already pulling towards her the finished pieces. There’s one for Oceanside and another for Hilltop. “Two and with Alexandria’s makes three?”

“Haven’t quite cemented what ours should look like.”

Carol turns and buries her nose against the cloth that covers his shoulder. The Kingdom stands for many things, but above all, it stands for hope and the chance of living instead of just surviving. But how to represent it? 

She loses herself in thought, trying to find what they could represent their community with. It’s not until the chirping of the crickets gets louder around them and the grumbling of her empty stomach reaches her ears that she finds herself leaving her thoughts. Her eyes settle on the empty pale garnet cloth which she reaches for and starts smoothing. Suddenly it clicks into place.

“Shiva.” She whispers first to herself before turning to look at Ezekiel who is already standing and putting things away. “I know what it should be.”

Ezekiel turns towards her with an expectant look. She knows that whatever she offers he will truly consider, such is the importance he gives to her words. “What, my love?”

“Shiva. It should be Shiva.”

A flash of sadness crosses Ezekiel’s eyes but it is soon replaced by one of happiness. “Shiva?”

Carol nods before getting up from her place on the floor and joining him. She offers the cloth to him which he instantly starts folding so that he can put it away. “What better way to portray our home than with Shiva; she represents the strength, the power we have as a community and she also stands for the unbelievable, the fairy tale, the hope to achieve the unachievable.”

Ezekiel stops folding the cloth, his eyes misting over. She knows that he understands what she means, that he is better than anyone else knows how impossible it must have seemed to everyone to encounter a tiger who wielded her power to a human with nothing but love. 

He gives a small nod before blinking away the tears. “You are right my Queen, our beloved Shiva shall be the emblem that portrays our community.”

She grins at him, happy to have helped him in his little project. She waits until the clothes are fully folded and put away before approaching him, her arms falling around his hips and pulling him closer. He wastes no time in embracing her, first placing a kiss to the top of her head, then to the bridge of her nose and finally to her lips as she tilts her head back.

They’ve always been able to lose themselves in their kisses whether they are tender or passionate and this time proves no different. Once again it is the grumbling of her belly that pulls them away, her face engulfed in a dark blush. 

It seems that it's only then that Ezekiel realizes that his little project has extended far longer than he originally planned. Without moving away from her, he starts guiding them out of the gazebo and towards their home, walking side by side, his arm moving to rest around her shoulders. She can’t help but snuggle against his side, their height differences making it perfect so that they can walk without being awkward. 

“Forgive me, my love,” he begs her. “I didn’t judge that it would take me long to complete the banners.”

“No harm done,” Carol promises though she cheekily adds. “You can give me a full body massage to make up for it.”

She sees Ezekiel grin from the corner of her eyes which brings another smile to her lips. “Oh my Queen…” he says in a tone that tells her he’s not really against the massage. “You master the art of proposing a deal I simply cannot refuse.”

“Good.” She concludes. “I have to keep you on your toes. In fact, let’s just skip dinner and go straight to the massage.”

His laugh brings warmth to her heart, a warmth she’s only known since she came to Kingdom and fell in love with this wonderful man. He’s about to agree when her stomach chooses that exact moment to remind them for a third time that she skipped dinner. “Worry not, beloved, I know the perfect technique to comprise both our feast and a massage.”

That makes her turn to look at him right away, a wicked spark in her eye that she’s sure he has no way of missing. “Promises promises.” She enters their home as soon as he’s opened the door for her, the smile never leaving her lips.

He is quick to follow behind her, not missing a beat in the light banter they always keep. “The morrow will bring a day full of sewing, the first measure of bringing to life that which we’ve dreamt for so long and taking the first step towards our societies uniting in trade, but tonight… tonight the King has a Queen he fully intends to entertain and promises he intends to keep.”

Their conversation is shadowed by the door closing behind them but the laughter that follows and that is heard coming from The Kingdom’s royal quarters is not an unusual sound, not since the Queen arrived into their lives.

Next time anyone but Ezekiel sees them, the Kingdom banner is finished and hanging proudly from the banister of the royal balcony; Shiva’s likeness captured on its cloth signaling to everyone who may come across it that The Kingdom is a place to not only survive but to live.

**Author's Note:**

> Did you guys like it?


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